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Micro-Trains - 501 00 281 - Boxcar, 40 Foot, Steel Double Door - Northern Pacific - 38268

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Z Scale - Micro-Trains - 501 00 281 - Boxcar, 40 Foot, Steel Double Door - Northern Pacific - 38268 Image Courtesy of Micro-Trains Line.
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BrandMicro-Trains
Stock Number501 00 281
Secondary Stock Number50100281
Original Retail Price$25.95
ManufacturerMicro-Trains
Body StyleMicro-Trains Boxcar 40 Foot Steel Double Door
Prototype VehicleBoxcar, 40 Foot, Steel Double Door (Details)
Road or Company NameNorthern Pacific (Details)
Reporting MarksNP
Road or Reporting Number38268
Paint Color(s)Brown
Print Color(s)White, Red & Black
Coupler TypeMicro-Trains
Coupler MountTruck-Mount
Wheel TypeInjection Molded Plastic
Release Date2018-02-01
Item CategoryRolling Stock (Freight)
Model TypeBoxcar
Model Subtype40 Foot
Model VarietySteel, Double Door
RegionNorth America
Prototype EraNA Era III: Transition (1939 - 1957)



Prototype History:
Steel boxcars became a common site in the post-WWII period (also known as the transition era). Steel construction resulted in a lighter, lower-maintenance car that was less expensive to acquire and operate. The economies of scale that happened during the war along with a cessation of orders from the military resulted in a plentiful, inexpensive source of metal and aluminum for the railcar manufacturers which in turn led a complete replacement of the aging wood-sheathed fleets with new steel cars.

One common variation of the ubiquitous 40 foot steel boxcar was the double-sliding door variation. This configuration allowed for easier loading and unloading of larger objects. A common use-case was automobile transportation. In the modern era, we are used to seeing huge autoracks with up to three levels of cars stacked one on top of the other, but back during the transition era, these beasts did not exist, and car were loaded onto boxcars with this special door configuration. Although this type of car was used for other bulky objects, they were frequently labeled 'Automobile' on the sides to clearly indicate to potential customers that the railroad had the capacity to transport this large bulky objects with their fleet.
Road Name History:
The Northern Pacific Railway (reporting mark NP) was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States from Minnesota to the Pacific Coast. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly 40 million acres (160,000 km2) of land grants, which it used to raise money in Europe for construction. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in western Montana on Sept. 8, 1883.

The railroad had about 6800 miles of track and served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. In addition the company had an international branch to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The main activities were shipping wheat and other farm products, cattle, timber and minerals; bringing in consumer goods, transporting passengers; and selling land.

The company was headquartered first in Brainerd, Minnesota, then in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It had a tumultuous financial history, and in 1970 it merged with other lines to form the Burlington Northern Railroad.

Read more on Wikipedia.
Brand/Importer Information:
Micro-Trains Line split off from Kadee Quality Products in 1990. Kadee Quality Products originally got involved in N-Scale by producing a scaled-down version of their successful HO Magne-Matic knuckle coupler system. This coupler was superior to the ubiquitous 'Rapido' style coupler due to two primary factors: superior realistic appearance and the ability to automatically uncouple when stopped over a magnet embedded in a section of track. The success of these couplers in N-Scale quickly translated to the production of trucks, wheels and in 1972 a release of ready-to-run box cars.

Micro-Trains Line Co. split off from Kadee in 1990 to form a completely independent company. For this reason, products from this company can appear with labels from both enterprises. Due to the nature of production idiosyncrasies and various random factors, the rolling stock from Micro-Trains can have all sorts of interesting variations in both their packaging as well as the products themselves. When acquiring an MTL product it is very important to understand these important production variations that can greatly enhance (or decrease) the value of your purchase.
Item created by: CNW400 on 2021-07-22 14:03:12

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